Motorcycling-MV Agusta boss vows to drop Fenati after Moto2 ban

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LONDON, Sept 10 (Reuters) - The boss of Italian bike maker MV Agusta has vowed to rip up a contract with Romano Fenati after the Moto2 rider caused uproar by reaching over to grab a rival’s brake lever while racing at speed in Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix.

Fenati was disqualified on the spot and barred from the next two races.

“This has been the worse and saddest thing I ever seen in a bike race. True sportsmen would never act this way. If I would be (MotoGP promoters) Dorna I would ban him from world racing,” Giovanni Castiglioni told his 565,000 followers on Instagram.

“Regarding his contract for a future position as rider of MV Agusta Moto2, I will oppose myself in every way to stop it. It won’t happen, he doesn’t represent our company true values,” added Castiglioni.

Fenati, who also caused headlines in 2015 when he was penalised for kicking out at Finnish rider Niklas Ajo in a Moto3 warm-up in Argentina, had been due to join MV Agusta’s new Moto2 project next season.

The project is in partnership with Forward Racing, whose rider Stefano Manzi was on the receiving end of Fenati’s actions.

British rider Cal Crutchlow, who finished third in Sunday’s MotoGP race at Misano, told reporters the 22-year-old should have been banned for life.

“He should never compete on a motorcycle again,” said the LCR Honda rider. “He should have walked back to the garage and his team should have just kicked him straight out the back.

“You can’t do this to another motorcycle racer. We are risking our lives enough.” (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Christian Radnedge)